You Don't Need to be the Hero!
by Southpaw
Summary: Sano decided to leave Japan and travel the world at the end of the Jinchuu arc, but where did he actually end up? Chapter 7 posted. on the move! PG for language... reviews appreciated.
1. Arrival to a new adventure

So... I guess the formatting on my last story didn't work out so well. I'll try harder this time! Hopefully I will be better about keeping the characters in character this time, too.  
  
So, anyway, what makes you think I could possibly own such a great work as RK? I do, however, lay claim to: Benny, Adam, Avi, Chava, Rahel, and Dina. Chances are there'll be more as the story progresses, but I think that's pretty good for now.  
  
You Don't Need to be the Hero!  
  
As Sagara Sanosuke stepped out onto the deck of the ship he'd been confined to for the last few weeks, he peered off into the distance to notice that they were finally approaching land.  
  
"Yosh," he thought. "I'm about ready for a change in scenery. I hope this country has some good food. Anything would be better than the gruel I've had to endure on this leg of the trip..."  
  
Sano disembarked from the ship amidst a cacophony of various languages, none of which were ones he remotely recognized. The dominant one, however, contained a word that just about everyone was using.  
  
'Shalom,' Sano thought. 'Hmmm...it must be some form of greeting, or something, the way everyone's using it! Whoa, I must have some weird expression on my face, because there's some guys headed my way who look to be about my age...' He tensed up so that he would be ready for anything, including a potential fight.  
  
"Baruch ha-ba l'eretz Yisrael," the first man exclaimed. He was average height, a little shorter than Sano, with dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin. They were all very tan, but it was early in the summer, and the Japanese teen could tell that his new acquaintances hadn't been born in this country.  
  
"Nani?" The look on Sano's face told the group that he hadn't understood a single word of their favorite greeting to give to newcomers.  
  
"This guy must be from eastern Asia, and that's why he can't figure out what we're saying," a second man explained to his friends. "Let's get Chava over here... She knows a little bit in one of those languages...maybe she'll be able to get our point across to him! Hey, Chava! Can you come here for a second?"  
  
In the mean time, Sano started trying to piece together exactly where the ship had landed (with his sense of adventure, he simply bought the ticket, regardless of where it would actually take him). Without having much luck in solving the puzzle, he attempted to back away from the group with an "I should probably be going..."  
  
This gesture did not, of course, escape the group's attention. As the two men reached out to grab his sleeves, Sano knew this would be his 'group,' so to speak, for this portion of his journey. He watched as a young girl joined them. She seemed to be around the same age as the men, also tan, with her long hair tied back out of her face with a length of string.  
  
"Ma nishma, Benny," Chava asked as she approached the man who had called her over. She noticed Sano off to the side, and checked him out in a similar way to how he had sized her up. "Ohhhh...Eich korim l'cha?"  
  
"That's what we're trying to find out," Benny replied, a little irritated at the fact that she hadn't yet determined the reason they had asked for her to join them. "I remembered that you knew a little bit of one of the eastern Asian languages, and I was hoping you'd be able to figure out a way to communicate with him before we all go insane."  
  
Throughout the whole exchange, Sano just stood there, baffled at the predicament he had gotten himself into. It was amazing how much the girl reminded him of jou-chan, at least in temper. He was wandering around inside his own head for so long, though, that he didn't notice at first when the guys started chuckling.  
  
Chava's cheeks began to turn a rosy shade. "Eynaim l'mala! Gee, guys, you sure picked out a winner here!" She was about to slap him too, but her tone of voice was enough to snap him out of his reverie in plenty of time to dodge the assault.  
  
"Gomen," he replied, with the facial expression to match, so that he could be sure she'd understand his appology.  
  
[A/N: At this point, the group and Sano are still speaking two different languages. I've translated most of it, partially because I don't have a wide enough vocabulary, and also to make it easier on you guys, my readers. Don't worry, the Japanese will remain pretty easy - it's the one I know less of, and there'll be a glossary at the end for the rest, so that I don't screw up the flow any more than I already have.]  
  
"Well, at least he has some good points, like knowing how to treat a woman... and he is kinda cute..." Chava thought as she tried to translate a phrase in her head that she thought Sano would understand. After trying it out on him, however, she discovered that whatever language it was she had learned wasn't in any way similar to his. "Okay, next thing I'm gonna try... Do you understand any English?"  
  
Of course, with English already becoming one of the more common world languages, and Sano having traveled east from Japan (therefore already going through America), his face all of a sudden lit up as he recognized the words of her last question. "Yes," he exclaimed, "but not very much. I'm from Japan, and my name is Sagara Sanosuke."  
  
"Alright! Now we're finally getting somewhere," the first man seemed ecstatic that they had managed to find a means of communication with their new friend. "Sagara's a pretty funny sounding name, though... but anyway, I'm Adam Levine, and this is Benny Nathan, and this lovely young lady is Chava Aronson."  
  
"No, my name is Sanosuke. We put the other first in Japan. It's good to meet you, Levine-san, Nathan-san, and Aronson-san." He laughed at the thought that something so simple to him seemed so backwards to these people.  
  
"I can see we have a lot to work on with you, starting with breaking down the language barrier," Chava commented. "You seem to know enough English, that we can use that to translate."  
  
"But anyway, it's good to meet you, Sa...no...sk..." Benny tried pronouncing the difficult Japanese name.  
  
"Just call me Sano. That should be easier."  
  
"Okay, Sano," Benny replied as relief washed over his face to know that the Japanese man already had a usable, comfortable nickname. "Welcome to Israel!"  
  
End Chapter 1  
  
A/N: So, Sano's landed himself in Israel. No wonder he didn't understand a word anyone was saying! Don't worry, hopefully that won't last too long.  
  
I was hoping for this to kinda be a time-warp. Sano left to travel the world at the end of the Jinchuu arc...who knows where he ended up along the way? I know more about modern Israel, the only problem being that it doesn't really mesh with the time period... oh well... There's lots of interesting places to visit, and it's such a small country, that I'm sure he'll be able to hit all the major attractions with his new friends.  
  
Why does he trust these people all of a sudden, you ask? Well, it wouldn't be much of a story without him making some friends... Again, don't worry, he'll have enough to deal with in the near future, that it might even come in handy to have this new group... not that I'm promising anything, just posing a possibility. I have no idea where this story is headed, so stay tuned!  
  
Baruch Ha-ba - welcome  
  
Eretz - land (as in, Land of Israel)  
  
Enayim L'mala - literally, eyes up. Apparently, Sano's mind and eyes were wandering to places where they shouldn't really have been at that time...;)  
  
Eich korim l'cha - What's your name? literally, 'how are you called?'  
  
Ma nishma - What's going on? or, what's up?  
  
PS. Like I mentioned in the middle of the chapter, even though the dialogue was mostly in English for a while, they didn't start to understand what the other was saying until Chava asked Sano if he spoke English. 


	2. Common Histories

I'm trying something new this time, including html code in hopes that the formatting will finally come out the way I want it to.  I think I figured out what I was doing wrong…  I'm also hoping to be able to post a new chapter once a week, or so, depending on the rest of my life, as well as how the thoughts flow…

Oh, yeah… single quotes are thinking, double quotes are dialogue, just in case if it was confusing… I think I changed it a little bit from my first fic (it's not different from chapter 1, though).

~*~

"The first thing we should do is get off this dock," remarked Benny, after they had been standing around chatting for about ten minutes.

"Sounds like a plan!  We can go visit my friend Dina at work, so that we can get Sano some new clothes."  Chava turned to her new friend to appraise his attire.  "You stand out too much.  What does that symbol on the back of your jacket mean, anyway?"

Sano was about to retort that he thought there was nothing wrong with what he was wearing, but in the next instant realized that the girl had asked him an honest question.  "It's the kanji for 'bad'.  I had a tough childhood, and that symbol is one of the relics from it… that and my headband."

"I was wondering about that, too, but it seems like you don't really want to talk about it, so maybe another time.  Let's get outa here."  Adam guided the group towards a bus stop, after Sano had gathered his belongings together.

"Uh…guys?  I don't have the right kind of money…" Sano realized as the bus pulled up.

"Oh, don't worry about that!  We can help you out until you get on your feet, now let's go!  What?  The look on your face says you've never been on a bus before.  Where've you been for the last 50 years?  I didn't think you were that old!"

"I'm not, I'm only 19."  'Man!  How long have I been traveling?  There's no way in hell I'm getting on that thing.  It looks even worse than those trains jou-chan used to drag us on.  It's obviously not even run by steam!  How do I tell them I don't want to go for a ride?  Oh, yeah!  Walking…that's a perfect explanation!'  "Hey, is it far?  Because I've been stuck in one place for so long that I could really use the walk…"

"Well, I guess it's not really that far… I guess I could use the walk too," Chava patted her stomach, giggling.  "I gotta keep my girlish figure, after all!"

"Girlish figure… that's a good one!  Let's just go, standing in one place is starting to get on my nerves a little bit."  Benny turned and whispered to Sano, "Don't worry about her, she always thinks she's overweight, even though as you and I can both tell, she's as healthy as can be!"

"I heard that!  It may not be a big deal for you men, but I prefer to always look my best."

~

After about half an hour of walking, Adam decided it was time for a little geography lesson.  "So… This is the city of Haifa.  We just came from the port, which is on the Mediterranean Sea, and over there are the Carmel mountains."  [btw, Carmel, in this case, is pronounced with the emphasis on the last syllable]  "We're almost at our destination," he continued.  "One thing you should know about Israel is the tight security… everywhere… so, if you have anything suspicious on you right now, I suggest you dispose of it right away."

As the group approached a busy-looking building, Sano couldn't help but notice how huge it was (it was right in front of him, after all!).  He gaped at its enormity, while trying to figure out why it could possibly be such a popular place [poor Sano. so many new experiences for him to puzzle out...]

The Japanese teen nearly missed it as they walked inside, that Chava had opened her purse for the policeman standing just inside the door.  And he glanced into it as if it was an everyday activity!

"Tiftach et ha-tik, bevakasha." Sano didn't really like police officers in general, to begin with, and that good ol' language barrier wasn't helping.

"Just let him see inside your bag," Adam was always good at rescuing the situation.  "We'll explain it to you later."

"I'm hungry," Benny exclaimed once they got inside.  "Let's go over to the food court.  I've heard it's better to hold conversations over food, anyway... It'll be a good opportunity to get a little better acquainted."

~

"Adam and I will go get the food while you guys find us a table."  Chava shot a meaningful look in Benny's direction, telling him it would just be easier this way.

"Come on, I'll tell you about the cop at the door while we're waiting."  The Israeli teen pulled his Japanese friend towards a table in the middle of the food court.  "Since it seems you don't even know what a bus is, I'm sure you're unaware of the situation going on in this country."  The blank stare he received proved this to be true.  "For a number of years now, Israel has more-or-less been at war with her Arab neighbors, particularly those living within her own borders.  That group calls themselves Palestinians.  iThey're not all bad people/i, but periodically, several among them choose to attack us.  We also attack them, though, so neither group is really in the right.  Many times, we've tried to make peace with them, but every time, something gets in the way of the progress."  Benny paused, noticing that something he said had struck a chord with Sano.  "Is everything alright?  I can stop if you want, but there's really only a little bit more..."

"No, I'm fine.  I'll tell you when you're finished.  You haven't really gotten to the answer yet."

Benny chuckled.  "I guess I haven't, have I?  Well, here it goes... The reason the cops stand at the door is to protect the shoppers.  Anyone could be a potential attacker, so they check everyone at the door to make sure no one brings anything dangerous inside.  That's it, the whole story in a nutshell... now I wanna hear about you.  Why'd you have that reaction to what I said before?"

Before Sano could start his story, Chava and Adam returned.  "Sorry it took so long, there was a line.  We also couldn't decide what everyone would want, so we got a few different things for us all to share."

"It's alright, he was just about to start explaining a particular reaction he had to something I said."

"Oh, a little personal history?  I'm glad I didn't miss this part J!"

Adam's mind was still on his stomach.  "Let's get the food taken care of first.  Sano, this bread is called pita, and you open it up and put everything else inside, as much as you want or can fit.  This one's called shwarma.  It's lamb that they roast vertically, and happens to be one of my favorite foods.  This one's falafel.  It's made from chick peas, and the hummus is too.  The difference is how finely it's ground up.  Then, you have all the standard vegetables – tomatoes, pickles, eggplant, cauliflower – and chips [that's what they call fries in Israel]… oh!  And then there's the spicy stuff.  You can try that if you want, but I should warn you, if you're not used to it…  So, just take what you'd like, and chow down!"

'I guess I won't tell as much as I had originally planned…'  "Uh, thanks, it looks interesting."  Sano started picking his way through the new culinary experience.  "I was just gonna tell Benny about why all of a sudden I feel like I can identify with you guys…  Some of the things he said reminded me a lot of home.  About ten years ago, or so, we had a war of our own going on.  I had been part of a group that was tricked into looking like we were the bad guys.  My being part of that group is why I keep the symbol and the headband.  That memory is more important to me than anything else, and my best friend from home showed me that it's perfectly alright to have strong opinions, just as long as you use them the right way."  He smiled as he tried to picture what the red-headed rurouni and his raven-haired wife were doing at that very moment.  The former fighter-for-hire had been through a lot with them in the time since he met them, and he wondered if they were still getting into trouble.

Chava interrupted his thoughts.  "Wow, that's deep.  Well, I'm finished eating, anyone else?"  The men nodded.  "Then let's head over to the store now.  Dina should still be there, she'll be able to give some good advice."

~*~

End Chapter 2

A/N:  I kinda feel bad that the story is moving so slowly.  I'm gonna try to get it to go faster after we meet Dina, though… there's still a couple characters I haven't introduced yet, and they'll come in later on, once things really get moving.  It's more important to me to get through a little exposition first, the trials and tribulations of a totally new environment, for instance.  Don't worry, Sano will eventually be able to communicate with more people, too.  Also, I really do hope to be able post once a week, but I'm not sure which day, so keep me in your author alert, and R&R please!  I look forward to hearing what you think!

Bevakasha – please

The rest of that phrase was translated in the next sentence.  Btw, if it was hard to tell (which I hope it wasn't, I tried to use context), they're at a mall.  I don't know which one, though, because I never spent enough time in Haifa…  The other cities will be much better.


	3. The Best Laid Plans

You know…it's tough being in school (even though I'm not actually in classes right now…it's this really cool thing called co-op), and extracurricular stuff, and reading your-all's stories, and trying to write my own… on top of other mischegas (sorry to anyone who doesn't understand that… it's Yiddish) going on in my life… it's a lot to think about!  Too much complaining, but hey, it's my mechanism.  The more I complain, the more likely I am to pull off well what I need to get done.  But anyway…

I'm posting this because it's ready, not because I'm getting any kind of great response, so please review!  I really do want to know what you think…

~*~

Dina Cohen looked up from her magazine as four people walked into the clothing store... it had been a pretty quiet day.  She recognized the woman as her friend Chava, and two of the men as her friend's friends.  She couldn't quite remember their names, though... and who was that other man that was with them?  She walked over to give Chava a hug.  "Chava!  Ma nishma?"

"Ha-kol beseder.  You remember Benny and Adam..."  Dina responded with a nod, figuring out which was which.  As she turned her head towards the third, oddly dressed man, Chava suddenly realized that she had forgotten to introduce their new friend.  Deftly switching to English, she answered the other woman's unspoken question.  "And this is Sano.  The name is short for something really tough to pronounce.  He's from Japan."  As an afterthought, she turned to said Japanese.  "Sano, this is my good friend Dina Cohen."

'Ah, so this is Dina...'  "I'm Sanosuke.  Pleased to meet you."

'Play it cool, play it cool!  Oh, but he's so hot... even his voice, it's so melodic!'  "The pleasure is mine.  What can I do for you?"

After about an hour or so, everyone had a few things to take back with them.  Sano had continually put up a fuss about his jacket and headband, but eventually agreed to a compromise with the women, while the men watched in amusement.  They turned to each other with a look of understanding – despite Sano's supposed "worldly" knowledge, he still had a lot to learn.

~

"Oh, man… look at the time!"  Chava was panicking by this point.  "Places to go, people to see… we gotta get a move on!  See you later, Dina!"

Dina wasn't about to let the chance for a potential hook-up escape from her.  "Sano, call me!  Chava has my number…"

All Sano could give in response to that was blushing and some mumbling as he was dragged out the door of the store by the other men.

"I'm gonna be so grounded when we get home," Chava whined as they got to the bus stop.  "You guys will stick up for me, right?  Especially you... you're my rock-hard alibi.  Speaking of rock-hard, you really put the moves on my friend back there..."

The Japanese teen was completely speechless.  She had caught him totally off guard.  The most response he could muster was the same one he had given Dina when she asked... no, told him to call her.  'That woman wants me to call her... that was very forward of her... Kitsune or jou-chan would never do something like that... I don't even know where she lives!  Wait, Hava has her number.  Why is it just a number?  Shouldn't there be a street name or something?'

[Sano would naturally have trouble, even in his thoughts, with pronouncing that one consonant (which also happens to be the beginning of Chava's name…) that doesn't appear in most other languages.]

"Close your mouth, you'll catch a fly!"  Benny was quick to point out to everyone that Sano had been wandering around inside his head again.  "Come on... how're you gonna learn any Hebrew if you're not listening?"  Sano's eyes snapped into focus with a small bow and a "Hai, sensei," that sent the three Israeli teens into giggles.

~

After facing the wrath of the parents, the foursome sat down to a dinner cooked by Chava's mom.  Sano had to admit, Israeli food was pretty good.  It was no Akabeko, but you take what you can get, and what he could get was still better than jou-chan's cooking (not that that's hard to accomplish! [Back in Japan, Kaoru sneezed a few times.  J]).

"What do you want to do tonight?"  It was Adam's turn to pose the question.  He punched Sano lightly in the shoulder.  "We got off easy 'cause of this guy, so we should make the most of it!"

~

"Here."  Chava handed Sano a rectangular object that had holes at each end, numbers in the middle, and a short pole at one end.  Judging by the quizzical look, he'd had an even more deprived childhood than she realized.  With a grin, she showed him how to turn it on.  "Now, here's Dina's number.  Just push each one as I read it off… that's it, now put that end up to your ear.  You'll hear a little ringing, and then someone will say hello.  You talk into the other end."

Sano was hesitant as ever, as he held the cordless phone in his hand.  'This is calling?'  He did as he was told, though, and jumped nearly a foot in the air when he heard Dina's voice through the earpiece.

"Look, you dropped it!  Well, maybe it was too much to start with… Allo, Dina? … Ken, eizeh chamud!  We were trying to figure out what to do tonight and thought you might have some good ideas… Sure!  Come on over, the more the merrier!  Okay, see you in a few!"

Adam decided it was important to fill Sano in on the way the two women were.  "Chava saw the way you and Dina interacted today.  She's trying to set you up.  If there's already a woman you've given your heart to, you'd better make that very clear TONIGHT."

~

"After all that, we're just sitting around watching television.  I was really hoping to get out tonight."  Benny was lying on the floor, so he rolled over to look at everyone.

Adam was perfectly content to be watching the latest film to be brought over from the United States.  "We were just out and about this afternoon…"

"Yeah, but the nightlife's different…"

"I have an idea!"  Dina almost whacked her friend in the face.  "This'll be great, especially since Sano's new to the area.  We should travel the country a little bit!"

"Thank you for thinking of me, Cohen-san, but I don't even know how long I'm going to stay in this country…"  As much as Sano loved seeing new places, he wasn't sure this was the group he wanted to accomplish this with.  As far as Dina was concerned, though, he wouldn't be so lucky.

"Nonsense!  And by the way, call me Dina.  Everyone pretty much only goes by their first names here… Now, where should we start?"

That simple question sent the four Israelis babbling amongst themselves.  Sano didn't know anything, so he just sat back and listened to them argue.  Adam wanted to go to Machtesh Ramon, Ein Gedi, and Masada.  Chava wanted to go to Jerusalem, Tsfat, and Caesarea.  Benny wanted to go to Eilat, the Dead Sea, and Netanya.  Dina wanted to go to Tel Aviv, Tiberias, and Metulla.

Even though Adam really wanted to go to the three places he suggested, he was tired of all the arguing.  "Look, guys, there's good and bad things about each place.  We can go to many of the places, too… Israel's a small country, you can go all the way from Metulla to Eilat in a car in about a day.  Let's sleep on it, and we'll start the real planning in the morning."

~*~

End Chapter 3

A/N:  Well, guys, that's it.  Where do you think they should go?  I figure I'll take a poll based on who says what in the reviews, and then go from there… I'm sorry you probably don't know much about the different places.  Lets just say that Adam's are all hikes, Chava's are more spiritual/religious, Benny's are beaches, and Dina's are cultural.  All of them are interesting places.  Just to warn you, good luck getting Sano up early enough to get to Masada!

Ha-kol beseder – everything's good, beseder literally means 'in order'

Ken – yes

Eizeh chamud – how cute, in this case, Chava's saying that Sano is 'so cute'


	4. Consideration and Communication

Alright, I said I wasn't gonna update again until I got some reviews, but I guess I lied.  I'm not gonna plan the itinerary without input, though, so I think this chapter will help out a little with that… hopefully… 

I've discovered that I think if I want to get noticed, I have to update more often than once a week… I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get new chapters out that fast, though… and I plan on only working on one story at a time… maybe… we'll see how my muse treats me… but enough of my jabbering, on with the story!

Btw, PLEASE R&R…I'd _really_ appreciate it!

~*~

In the morning, the group resumed their argument.  After some thought, even Sano had his two cents – or two shekels, in this case [lol] – to add in.  Being a naturally active person, the Japanese decided he'd rather do the hikes, which disappointed the girls, of course.

"How are you going to learn about us if all you get to see while you're in the country are the natural habitats?  I think it would be far more beneficial to interact with other people."  'Especially me,' Dina wished to herself, while trying her hardest not to let it show.

Chava noticed, though, and raised her eyebrows questioningly for a second before adding her argument.  "You're gonna need stuff to take back to your friends in Japan… the best place to find those are in the cultural centers.  You can find anything in the new city or old city of Jerusalem, and Tsfat has really great hand-dipped candles."

"But it wouldn't be a complete trip without taking a dip in the Dead Sea," Benny interjected.  "And it would be a total loss to miss out on the beaches."  He shot Sano a meaningful look, implying other reasons why it might be desirable to visit the beach.

"Well, I have nothing to worry about, I already have you sold on my ideas."  Adam sat back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"If it's shopping you're worried about, Tel Aviv has plenty too…"  Adam glanced at Dina, as if trying to get her to back off a little bit.  He wanted her to understand that their new friend might have someone waiting for him at home… even though he could tell that she was thoroughly choosing to ignore the idea of there even being a possibility.

"I'm not worried about too much, just as long as I can keep my skills sharp and my other various needs met."  Even though Sano was used to disagreements (he was notorious for being involved in them, after all!), he wasn't quite sure what the rules were in this country.  With his luck, the women would win and that would be the end of it – just like at home…

"And what needs would those be?"  Dina gave the oblivious one a caressing hug just as he realized he hadn't quite worded what he said the way he meant to.

"Oh, uhh… mostly just food and a place to sleep is all…"

"We've already discovered that's not a problem, right Chava?"  Adam reminded everyone where they'd slept last night.

"Oh, and I meant to tell you, the food was really good.  I'm not used to this stuff, so it was a nice change… Thank you."

"You're very welcome, and I'm sure there's more.  It seems to me like chances are you've never visited a Jewish family before.  It's one of the things my mom's pretty bad about.  We really like to make sure everyone's had plenty to eat!"

"That's some sweet music for my ears!"  This admission sent the Israelis giggling.  They had seen proof of this yesterday, but still seemed baffled by the fact that anyone could always be _that_ hungry…

This time, it was Benny who got the group back on track.  "But, we still haven't figured out any kinds of beginnings for the itinerary…"  He received groans from the other four as a reply, even though they all knew he was right.

"Well, let's see… Sano's the one we're focusing on because he's the only one of us who's never seen ANY of it… but he has no basis for making an educated decision _because_ he's never seen any of it… It's gonna make it tough."  Chava seemed to have a way of putting it all into nice, neat perspective.

~

"Oi, Adam-san, where do you think I could find a scroll and something to write with?  I just thought it would be a really great idea to tell my friends at home about you guys."

The Israeli was about to point out that it might be easier to just send an e-mail, because it won't take as long, but then thought better of it.  "Please, just call me Adam, none of the fancy endings, alright?  It's totally unnecessary.  Anyway, I could get you a pen and some paper, if that would work well enough for you…"

"I guess that would work.  You'll have to show me how to use this 'pen.'  Thank you."

~

Dear Kenshin,

Betcha thought you'd never hear this from me, but I wish you were here.  I honestly think you and jou-chan, and Yahiko, and even Kitsune would really like it here.  They think the same as you do… the circumstances are different, but the signs are all there.  They want peace with their neighbors… They've been fighting for a bunch of years already, and not a whole lot of progress has been made, from what I can gather.  Some of the countries are civil with them, but many more are still hostile.  They don't even get along with some of the people living inside their borders!  Heh, that's all too familiar to us, ne?

Anyway, speaking of everyone else, tell them I say hi… yes, even Kitsune, if you want.  You don't need to include the fact that I asked you to, though… chances are, if I know her, she'll guess at that all on her own, and she certainly doesn't need to hear it from you… just tell her I wrote to you, that should be enough.

I met some people when I got off the boat.  Yeah, that's how I know some of their history already.  These guys are about the same age as me, with kinda odd names.  The one girl's I can't even pronounce, it's got a weird sound at the beginning.  Anyway, they want to take me on a tour of the country.  Apparently, it's pretty small, because the one guy said you could go all the way from one end to the other in about a day.  That must be by those weird bus-thingies.

Which reminds me of something else – I think I must have traveled forward in time some, because they got all kinds of weird things that I've never seen in Japan or anywhere in my travels.  I don't really know how I got here… I hope once I leave here, that the rest of the world will still be in the right time period.  The only way to know is if you get this, and then wait it out until I decide it's time to move on again…

So, I guess that's about it.  I really do think you all would like it here, even Kitsune.  While we were walking yesterday, I saw this really huge clinic.  One of the guys said it was called a hospital.  I don't really know exactly what that means, but if it's just another word for a big clinic, then it's gotta be something good… I have a feeling I might end up there while I'm in this country, but who knows.  If I plan on keeping my skills sharp, I guess you can count on it.  Don't worry, I still have some of that balm she gave me.

Alright, I gotta go now.  The new 'group' is waiting for me.

-Sano

PS. The food is really good.  Jou-chan might even be able to learn from them!

~

"Where should I address it to?"  Adam asked when Sano brought him the finished letter.

"It should be enough to write 'Kenshin Himura, Kamiya Dojo.'  It's in Tokyo.  He lives there with his wife, Kaoru, who happens to be the current master of the Kamiya Kasshin School there.  They're both masters of the sword…"

"Wow!  That would be so cool to meet them! …It's too bad they're so far away… probably too tough for them to make the trip, huh?"

"Yeah, I imagine so.  They probably have a kid by now, too…"

"Well, come on.  We gotta go help finish the itinerary…"

"Heh, sounds like fun…"  'But… not so much,' Sano thought, as he followed the Israeli back to the other room.

~*~

End Chapter 4

A/N:  Okay, I really hope to get the group on the move in the next chapter.  I'm still unsure how long I'm going to drag it out, but I wanna make each consecutive chapter be a different place they visit… I could figure out the itinerary on my own, but I'd prefer to make this part of the story interactive, so that you can see the places you want to see, not just the ones I want to talk about…  I hope you know a little more about some of the places now, and so, I look forward to hearing from you.  I wish for reviews before I update this story again!


	5. Another Motive

Why would these people randomly come together, you ask?  It's a good question, and I admit it's one I hadn't thought of…sadly… I guess it might be a good idea to slow down at least a little bit… can't have everyone running off right away, ne?

~*~

'Well, now that Kenshin and jou-chan know how interesting this place is, I think it would be a good idea to see what those guys are up to...'  Sano decided there must have been more to the Israeli kids than they were letting on about.

Chava was the first one to notice his return.  "Oh, Sano, I'm glad you're back.  We decided that since we're so far to the north already, and rather than spend a whole day traveling before we get to do anything, we're gonna head a little farther north first and work our way down!"  She practically exploded with excitement before Dina placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that... Look, I'm a fighter.  It's really all I know how to do.  From what I can tell, the country's beautiful, and reminds me a lot of home.  That's why I can't travel with you guys."  The Japanese teen chose to ignore the astonished looks he received.  "I'm gonna get you guys in trouble...  Don't worry about me, I know how to handle myself... I have been most of the way around the world, after all...  I need to do this on my own, without having to worry about protecting you guys."

The four Israelis sat in a stunned silence as the man they were sure would befriend them, walked out the door.

~

Benny was the first one to find his voice, so he took the liberty of breaking the silence.

"Geez, the nerve of that guy... I can't believe that of all the people on that ship, the Agency had to assign us to him."

"We tried.  I wouldn't be surprised if we run into him again."

Dina was the most affected of the four.  She gave Adam a hard glare.  "You're always the optimist.  It scares me to think of what might happen if that comes to pass..."

"We've been through basic training already.  Don't forget this is shanat sherut – we'll be able to handle ourselves if it comes to that..."

In the following couple minutes, one could hear a pin drop if listening closely enough, until Chava found the words to voice what they were all thinking.

They won't let it come to that.

~

Meanwhile, Sano made sure to get a good look at the apartment building before he really left.  'I know it probably won't make a difference with my sense of direction, but hey, it's a meal ticket!'

The mountains looked inviting.  He started to wander off towards them when he realized that the prospect of leaving town wouldn't be so easy to accomplish.  In the foothills already, the streets didn't go straight.

"Kuso... How'm I ever gonna find my way out of this city?"  He was about to turn back, but thought better of it after remembering what he'd said to the Israelis.

The Japanese teen looked around him.  "I'm such a baka sometimes.  Now I'm stuck wandering around until my luck changes, I guess... Who'm I kidding?  I have the worst luck of all the people I know."  He sat down on the curb.  "Well, one thing's for sure, Sagara Sanosuke doesn't dwell on anything long enough to regret his actions.  I guess it's time for me to find some food and maybe a place to stay overnight.  I can continue my journey tomorrow."

With that, he stood back up and made his way down the street in the opposite direction of Chava's apartment.  [It wasn't on purpose, it was just the way he felt like going…]

~

"We should go after him…"

"Correction, ONE of us should go after him, and I don't think it should be you, Dina."  Adam gave the girl a look that all but screamed 'Don't start with me.'  "We all know you have a crush on him," he continued for the benefit of the other two.  "And I don't want to put him in that kind of situation.  Even though he doesn't want to admit it, I sincerely believe he has someone waiting for him back in Japan."

"So, who do you think should go?"

"I thought I might go myself, but after contemplating a little longer, I figured Benny would be the best choice.  Is that alright with you?"  He glanced over at his friend, receiving a small nod in response.  "Good, thank you.  In the time we've been deliberating, who knows how far he's gotten.  We're counting on you.  You're the fastest one out of the four of us.  I think you also made a special connection to him back at the mall, so please us that to your advantage.  If any of us can bring him back, it's you."

"Geez, Adam!  I don't think you intimidated him nearly enough," Chava replied after the way-too-serious (for her taste) monologue.  "Would you mind sharing with me why exactly this guy is so important?"

"Yes, I would mind!  I'm not exactly at liberty to tell you yet, but believe me, as soon as I know it's okay, you guys will be the first ones to know.  For now, you'll have to be satisfied with that."

The other two could tell he'd ruffled her feathers quite a bit with that retort.  They couldn't be surprised that the Agency had only told one of them, though.  Judging by Sano's behavior in only 24 hours, it was easy to tell that he was no mere world-traveler.  That was why they were the ones assigned to him, after all...

Benny was growing impatient.  "Alright, enough stalling.  I'll be back in a little while, hopefully accompanied," he said.

"B'hatzlacha," Dina mumbled to his quickly-retreating figure.

~*~

End Chapter 5

A/N:  Will Benny be able to find Sano?  And what will happen between Sano and Dina?  Even I haven't contemplated that yet… And anyway, what is the Agency, and why are they so interested in our Japanese friend?  Trust me, there's plenty more to come!

Tune in next time, 'same bat-time, same bat-channel!' (I just love quoting movies and TV!)

B'hatzlacha – good luck, literally in success


	6. In and Out of Luck

It occurred to me that I forgot to explain shanat sherut at the end of the last chapter.  Basically, what happens is that if a person doesn't want to go straight into the army after high school, they can do a year of community service, either in Israel or in a different country (usually the US or England, I think…).  The word shana means year, and sherut means service.  The 't' on the end of shana is just there to make the phrase easier to say…

~*~

Benny returned not long after dark, alone.

"He can't have completely disappeared..." Adam mused.  "We won't be able to find him now, though.  For tonight, I guess he gets his wish.  We'll all go try again in the morning."

"Let's pop in a movie for the rest of the evening," Chava suggested.

"Alright, how about Dead Poets Society?"

~

Sano's teeth chattered as he wandered the streets of Haifa, searching for a way to satisfy his three basic needs - food, a place to sleep, and people to gamble with.  Luckily, he managed the more important two of the three, when he happened upon a small youth hostel.

A slight, middle-aged man answered the door after Sano knocked a few times.  "Ken, ani ba! ... Oh, erev tov, efshar la'azor l'cha?"

A startled look passed across the Japanese teen's face.  He still wasn't used to the new language.  "Uh, do you speak any English?"

The man's eyes lit up.  Here was someone new for him to practice on!  "English!  Yes, ah... little bit," he replied in a thick Russian accent.  "How you say... eh... what can I do for you?"

"I need a place to stay tonight."

"Ah, yes, come in!  You a... tourist or something?"

"I guess you could say that..."

"We haven't had many tourists, mostly because of the matzav... sorry, I don't know what it means in English... But, anyway, there is room open right here."  He pointed to a closed door at the end of the sort hallway.  "Go in and get yourself settled.  When you're done, come back to the front.  I brew tea right now, you'll tell me what brings you here."  With that, he walked off toward the kitchen, leaving no room for Sano to argue his way out of it.

~

The room the man had assigned was simple enough.  One window faced east, and the other south, so plenty of light would bet through in the morning.  Nothing could be seen out of them right now, though...

The bed had a thin mattress, almost like a futon, which was perfectly alright.  On the other hand, though, the pillow was horribly lumpy and the blanket seemed almost as rough as sandpaper (not that Sano would know what that was...).  He set his meager possessions down on the bed, resolving that it would be sufficient for one night.

~

The sweet scent of the tea wafted throughout the hostel compound.  As Sano quietly approached the common area, he noticed that the proprietor was mumbling something while reading his copy of a newspaper (it was in Hebrew, but pretty much all newspapers are printed on the same kind of paper, so it was easy to determine that it was a periodical).

The Russian man felt the other's presence in the room.  He looked up with a sly smile "I knew the tea would bring you back.  It's obvious to me you're oriental, so I was lucky we have some green tea.  Please, sit."  He motioned toward the sofa as he stood to serve the tea.

They sat in a calm silence for a while, enjoying the tea and not having to ask or answer any questions.

~

"I read my newspapers out loud."  The man's confession startled Sano back into the real world.  "I can tell you were wondering about that.  I only move here a few years ago.  Hearing the words helps me understand better."  He paused before asking the spiky-haired teen for the information he was seeking.

Sano refused to give the Russian man the benefit.  He took the silence as a signal that it was time for him to hold up his end of the conversation.  "I've only been in the country a couple days.  A group of kids about my age picked me up at the boat.  I don't know why they were so interested in me, but I always end up having to deal with some weird yakuza... sorry, I don't know what that means in English, either.  Anyway, I don't want to get anyone else in trouble."

"Someone your age shouldn't know from trouble, but this is the world we live in..." the other mused.  "I will tell you story.  I live in Russia before I move here.  In school, they taught us many things, but mostly trained us to become part of the Party... a, uh... politics thing.  My parents told me not to join, 'Jews do not join the Party,' they said.  Later that year, I saw my friends from school fighting my friends from the synagogue.  I hid and watched for a little bit, and then I ran all the way home so they would not fight me too.  It hurt to watch...  I wanted to leave Russia more than anything else after that, and take my parents with me, so that we could be away from my friends.  From my friends!  .....It took me ten years after graduating that they would let me out."

Sano hated sob stories more than any other kind.  He punched a fist into his other palm.  "I'll take care of them for you!  Saying my name is like saying the word 'trouble'!" 'Although not quite as good as my friend's name...' he thought.  "I can handle them!"  He was so fired up he almost walked out to go find them.

"Calm down.  It was long time ago and I am here and they are still in Russia if they are alive."  He looked at the clock as Sano relaxed back into the sofa.  "It's late.  You should sleep if you want an early start tomorrow."

"Arigato."

"Huh?"

"Oh, heh... uh, thanks."

"You're welcome.  Good night."

~*~

End Chapter 6

A/N:  I kinda have an idea in my head of a potential itinerary, but it makes it difficult for Sano to not be riding the busses… There's a trail going from all the way in the north to all the way in the south, that supposedly takes about three weeks to traverse.  I think it's called the national trail, but I can't remember… Anyway, judging by that gauge, well… you can see where I'm going with this.  Still not sure how many chapters it'll cover, though…

Imalefty and Rei-Starwind, thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Ken, ani ba! – yes, I'm coming!

Erev tov – good evening

Efshar la'azor l'cha? – may I help you?

Matzav – it's the word Israelis use when they refer to the situation, but I'm not 100% sure if it actually means 'situation'


	7. Wild Goose

Sorry it's taking me so long to update, sometimes my brain needs a little break, and it decided it needed it last week.  So, this chapter wasn't started until this week.  I hope you like it!  Please review…

~*~

The sun shone brightly on Sano's closed eyes at seven o'clock the next morning.  He woke up and rolled over two minutes later, from the intensity of the light.  He was about to fall back asleep when an unfamiliar smell reached him.  It was strange, but his body recognized it as nourishment.

He walked into the kitchen yawning, eyes still most of the way shut.

"Boker tov!  What do you want for breakfast?"

"Rice and miso would be terrific."

The Russian man shook his head.  "I'm sorry, I do not have those things.  I have bread with cheese and vegetables that you can make sandwich, or a bowl of Ugi with milk.  Here, drink this, it will help you wake up."  He handed Sano a cup of some very dark liquid which must have been the odd smell that drew him out of bed in the first place.

The Japanese teen eyed the contents of the cup suspiciously.  He slowly took a drink, and then immediately sprayed it back out.  "Kuso, what the hell is this stuff?!?  Che, some method of waking up... It may smell alright, but it tastes awful!"

"It is called coffee, and it does take getting used to.  I did not like it much when I was younger either.  You wake up not just from drinking it, but also from the caffeine in it...  Here, breakfast is ready."

~

Sano was out the door and up the hill by nine o'clock.  He had been disappointed by the meal, but then again, he had also been rude enough to ask for something different...  He pulled out a magnet on a string.  "Alright, let's head north."  And he took off towards the mountains.

~

"[yawn]  What time is it?"  Benny asked as he sat up.  "Oh, man, we fell asleep during the movie... Hey, guys!  Wake up!  It's 9:45!"

"Ma pitom?  It's only... holy shnikees, it is that late!  Come on everyone, we gotta get moving!"  Adam stood up and straightened out his clothes.  "We can eat on the way.  There's no time to lose, I have a feeling we have a long day ahead of us."

The Israeli teens moaned and stretched to undo the stiffness, and then the girls went to put together a small breakfast and some snacks while the guys worked out a plan.

~

They searched the entire city - parks, stores, hostels, they spoke with their neighbors, they even walked into Rambam just in case...

At lunch time they met back up in the park near their homes.  None of them were accompanied, and none of them showed any sign of having gained new information.

"It's not like he'd be tough to spot..."  Leave it to Dina to be so blunt.

"And, there are still a few places we haven't checked.  We'll try those, and that'll probably be all we can do today."

They sat and ate, thinking about Adam and Dina's observations.  The process was slow going, and the fact that they didn't know the 'why' wasn't helping.

~

At 3:30 pm, the four Israelis found themselves at the door of a small youth hostel.  Chava knocked.

"Ken, ani ba...  Oh, efshar la'azor lachem?"

"Hi Avi, we were wondering if you could help us."

Avi recognized the voice, but couldn't tell who was who.  He put his glasses back on after he finished cleaning them and blinked a couple times. "Oh!  Chaverim, please come in.  What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for someone.  He just came in on the boat a few days ago.  His name is Sano, which is short for something a little complicated.  He's Japanese, and the Agency asked us to be the ones to keep an eye on him."

It didn't take the man long to realize they were talking about his unusual visitor.  "I had a guest last night - Japanese man about your age, with spiky brown hair.  I knew there was something different about him because of how he dressed and the way he held himself.  He left pretty early this morning without paying... [general face-fault] didn't tell me where he was going, either..."  He paused to see if there was anything else he could tell them.  "That's it, I hope I was able to help.  Can I get you guys something to drink?"

Dina's spirits rose and then fell right back down again as the various pieces of news about her crush had been revealed.  "Just water would be plenty, right guys?  And anyway, thanks for the info."

"My pleasure.  Here you go."  The Russian immigrant handed the kids glasses of water.  "He told me he met up with you guys.  Nothing specific, just that a group of kids his age picked him up at the boat.  I guess he wanted to share just enough to get me to trust him..."

"Well, at any rate, we appreciate your sharing.  This guy is apparently very important to the Agency, or else they wouldn't have sent us out searching for him."  It was the first thing Benny had said since they arrived. He handed the man 100 shekels.  "This should cover the room and board.  We should be getting back to the search."

~

Sano walked beside the highway towards Tel Aviv as the sun was setting.

'Man, I am such a baka...  I gotta get to the next town, or I might collapse from not having anything to eat or drink!  Kuso!  Maybe I should have trusted them a little more, at least then I'd have a bed to sleep on..."

As he rounded a bend in the road, he saw a small but busy rest area.  Out a little farther sat the vast, green sea, but that didn't matter right now.  The important thing was to find out what the hell was going on.

~*~

End chapter 7

A/N:  Yay!  It's alright, I was getting bored in Haifa anyway… and yes, Tel Aviv is _south_ of Haifa… we all know about Sano's sense of direction.  :P

I don't know if a youth hostel like that really exists in Haifa.  I based it off an experience I had at one in Tsfat, cozy place!

Rambam is the name of the big hospital in Haifa.  It's part of the system of Hadassah hospitals.

Efshar la'azor lachem – kinda like 'efshar la'azor l'cha', except that l'cha makes the singular form of you, while lachem makes the plural form

Ugi – one of the great Israeli cereals, it's kinda like Cookie Crisp, especially because the word for cookie in Hebrew is ugiya

Boker tov – good morning

Ma pitom – what the hell, or, what are you talking about

Chaverim – friends

PS. If it seems unclear, the Israelis are all talking in Hebrew when they're not around Sano.  It's a whole lot easier for them… it's easier for me to convey the story to you by direct translating, rather than write it all out in Hebrew with English letters, and then have the translation at the bottom.


	8. Haste Will Get You Into Trouble

This is a short chapter.  I'm sorry…  It's almost the end of the term, and hopefully I'll be able to add more over term break, before the craziness starts up again… I guess I'm lucky to even be able to post this much…

Nobody noticed as Sano ambled up to the outskirts of the group, they were too engrossed in what they were doing.  The Japanese teen's height worked in his favor, though, as he was able to see over many of the other peoples' heads.  He was just tall enough to discover that his suspicions were in fact correct – this was a confrontation.

Just like all the other times, he couldn't understand a word anyone was shouting.  He tapped one of the boys on the outside of the circle on the shoulder, in hopes of gaining some information.  The boy not only did a double-take, he did a triple.  Here was a guy speaking to him in English, this guy looked like he was from eastern Asia, and he was dressed funny.  Out of pure curiosity, the kid complied, and answered Sano's questions.

"Well, that guy's a friend of a friend.  We were on our way up to Acre, and decided to stop off here for a short break, maybe switch driving…  Anyway, we were about to get back in the car when these other guys stopped us.  Next thing I know, we've attracted a crowd.  Neither of them has thrown any punches yet, they just keep going around in circles."  He turned his head back to face Sano, when he realized that the other had already started making his way towards the center of the circle.  "You're a fool," he mumbled.

"Oi!  If you need someone to fight with, fight with me.  I could use the practice."  The English-speaker immediately had everyone's attention.  "Well?  Who's first?"

Needless to say, the entire crowd just stared at him, dumbfounded.  Finally, the toughest-looking among them spoke up.  "Fine, if you're really that foolish to pick a fight with us, I will face you."

The circle backed out to leave enough room for the fight, with Sano at one end, and the tough-guy at the other.  The tough-guy said something in Arabic to his comrades, which made several pairs of the other group's eyes grow wide.

Sano acted like he didn't notice.  For now, it didn't matter.  Instead, he decided to tease the other fighter a little more.  "Come on, let's get this going, I'm already bored… oh, and by the way – where I'm from, we introduce ourselves when we fight… I'm Sanosuke Sagara."

Heat and anger visibly rose in the other man and his friends.  "I DON'T HAVE TO GIVE YOU MY NAME!  YOU WANNA FIGHT, SMART$$?  I'M READY!"  He was infuriated even more when Sano just stood in place, so he made the first move.

'Che, too slow.'  The Japanese teen moved slightly to one side to let the other pass.  The Arabic-speaker stopped and turned around as soon as he realized he had gone past his opponent.  This happened twice more before the tough-guy's patience had all but withered away.  "Who are you," he demanded.

"I already told you that."  Sano started to walk away, hands in his pockets, followed by looks from the others of surprise and confusion.  "I don't like fighting weak people… Man, did I pick a boring fight, or what?"  Because his back was turned, he didn't see the other fighter signal his friends.  However, he did hear several clicking sounds.

The Japanese teen raised his hands in the air.  "Heh, I should have known you'd resort to fire power."  He moved quickly as the shots rang out, trying to get out of the way.  A couple of the bullets did make contact, though, and Sano slumped onto the ground.

The antagonistic group walked off, laughing.

End Chapter 8

A/N:  I know, I know… I'm such a horrible person, ne?  Not only is it short, but it's a cliffhanger!  Well, I hope I did the fight scene adequately, it's my first try.

OMG, no Hebrew words to translate this time!

Imalefty, you'll just have to wait and see!


End file.
